The present invention relates to a mobile vehicular apparatus with an aerial platform or cabin mounted on the distal end of a telescopic boom which is upwardly extensibly and downwardly collapsibly mounted on a mobile vehicular body. More particularly, the present invention relates to a mobile vehicular apparatus with an aerial cabin which has manipulators mounted on a front side thereof and a lifter extending from a rear side of the cabin in overhanging relation to the upper front side of the cabin and the manipulators.
Some mobile vehicles with aerial platforms are used to handle electric cables supported on poles. While electric cables are being processed, it is often required that the electric cables be left "hot", i.e., an electric current flow through the electric cables, in order to prevent an undesirable power failure.
There has been proposed a mobile vehicle with an aerial platform or cabin which is mounted on the distal end of a boom, with manipulators being connected to the platform or cabin and extending forwardly therefrom. The proposed vehicle with such an aerial platform or cabin is indispensable to keep the operator safe and make the operation efficient while handling electric cables that are alive, carrying high-voltage electric currents.
Various mobile vehicles with aerial platforms or cabins are known which include a lifting device for lifting the platform or cabin to a desired vertical position so that operations using the manipulators can be effected more efficiently. The conventional lifting device is mainly designed to lift and lower objects such as transformers, crossarms, etc., which are to be attached and detached by the manipulators. The lifting device can therefore lift and lower these objects more efficiently than mobile vehicles with aerial platforms or cabins which are not equipped with such lifting devices. However, the prior lifting device does not have an additional support function such as for temporarily supporting an electric cable to prevent the electric cable from swinging so that the electric cable can be cut off or spliced with two manipulators highly efficiently. To cut off or splice an electric cable, it has been customary to support the electric cable with one of the manipulators and cut off or splice the electric cable with the other manipulator. Accordingly, such a process has not been efficient enough with the conventional aerial platform or cabin arrangement.
The lifting device of the conventional structure is always positioned in a spread condition near the platform or cabin irrespective of whether the lifting device is in use or not. When not in use, the lifting device may be in the way of the manipulators or the platform or cabin, when the manipulators or the platform or cabin is moved around. In the case where the lifting device is located upwardly of the platform or cabin, when the boom is collapsed and the vehicle runs, since the lifting device remains high over the platform or cabin, the center of gravity of the mobile vehicle is high and hence the mobile vehicle does not run stably.